Printer&#39;s lead-cutter.



No. 844,746. PATENTED FEB. 19, 1907.

B. I. RICE.

PRINTERS LEAD CUTTER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 22. 1906.

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EDWIN I. RICE, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

PRINTERS LEAD-CUTTER.

are. 844,746.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 1907.

Application filed May 22,1906. Serial No- 318,196.

To (L Z/ 1/:7m77'1/ it 'nmy cancer/t.- Be it known that I, EDWIN I. RICE, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Printers Lead-Cutters, of which the following is-a full, dear, and exact description.

The obj eet of this invention is to generally imp:ove the construction of a cutter for pqinte s leads, rules, and linotype-slugs, whereby the machine is susceptible of production at comparatively small cost, capable of utilization in an extremely rapid manner, I and generally more satisfactory and desir able in use. I The invention consists in the combinations or arrangements of parts and in the con f structions of certain of the parts, all sulistantially as hereinafter fully described, and set l forth in the tlaims.

i l I i i The impQoved p inters lead-cutter is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View. Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view of the ma =hine, the movable member of the shear being shown in its lowered position. Fig. 3 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 2, but showing only the right-hand portion of the machine, the movable shear member being shown as in its elevated position and the upwardly-swung position of the properly-tut lead indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing structural features of the feed-screw and the gage-block, to be hereinifter referred to.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the views.

In the drawings, A represents a table, at the right-hand end of which is a fixed member a of a shear, 1) representing the movable member of the shear, pivoted at (Z and operated by the handle-lever f and link 9. On the top of the table, made as one therewith, is a longitudinal rib 7L, fitting about and guided by which is a movable gage-block i, which is quite bulky and heavy and not liable to displacement. The table is made at its left-hand end with a solid upwardly-extending portion j, screw-threading horizontally and longitudinally through which is a screwshaft Zr, having at its outer end a handlewheel Z, wlnle its inner end 18 made with a I head and neck m m as shown in Fig. 4, re- (eiving engagement with the semieylindrical socket 12, so that the gage-block 7; may be easily disengaged f om the screw and one (onsiderably longer interchanged therefor. The sotket IL is ontinued to the end of the block by the semit ylindi'ital recess a of smaller size. The hand-wheel Zhas regulallyspaced notches 0, engaging in which is a catch-lever p, which is pivoted to the portion of the table. The notches 0 are made with respect to the pitch of the screw-threads of the shaft is and with the scale graduations 7L2 on the rib It so that a given number of complete turns or fraction of itL'llS as measured by the WllGtl-DOtClICS 0 will cause the end of the gage-block to be positioned at a known distance fom the fixed shear member a at the lighthand end of the table, whereby with a given setting of the gage a lead may be cut oil" to have a length of a desired number of piczis or points. In cases where it is desired that short leads be cut it is more onvenient to sub stitute the gage-blotk t by one ver 7 much longer instead of po fo1ming the somewhat slow operation of turning the screwshaft a goat number of times, and this, as apparent, may be readily done by the fo mations m, m, and a between the gage-block and operating-screw for the detachable engagement of the block with the screw. The dotted lines in Fig. 2 indicate a longer gageblock, assumed to be capable of substitution for the one represented in such figure by the full lines. cally-movable member of the shear I) is made with a retess b in its inner face slightly above its cutting edge I). This is regt-n'ded as an important feature in piinteis lead-cutters, for in practice in the (ommon form of lead- (uttOlS on the upward retuLn movement of the shear the lead, tightly held between the gage-block and vertically-moving shear, is by the fiction between the (ut-ofl' end of the lead and the fare of the shear tilted upwardly, causing a j amming of the (oineis of the lead at its ends against both the gage and shear.

In the operation of this machine the cut-off lead will of itself catch, or it may by having a slight sliding movement imparted thereto while the shear a is lowered be made to catch, against the shoulder b", whereupon the lifting of the shear will also lift the lead therewith, as represented at a' in Fig. 3, not only saving the It will be notic ed that the vertilead from becoming jammed at its ends, but also leaving it to be more easily picked up by the compositor than would be the case if it were left flat on the table and close against the rib h.

I claim- 1. In a printers lead-cutter, in combination, a bed or table having a longitudinal guide-rib at its top, having a fixed shear member at one end thereof, and having an upstanding portion at its other end, a movable shear member coacting with the fixed shear member, and means for operating it, a gage-block having a sliding and guiding engagement with said rib, and a screw-shaft having a traveling engagement in said upstanding portion of the table, and provided with a head taking in a socket in said gage block, and means forturning said shaft.

2. In a printers leadcutter, in combination, a bed or table having a'longitudinal guide-rib at its top, having a fixed shear member at one endthereof, and having an upstanding portion at its other end, a movable shear member coacting with the fixed shear member, and means for operating it, a gageblock having a sliding and guiding engagement with said rib, and a screw-shaft having a three d e d bearing in, and a longitudinal feed movement through sai' d upstandin portion of the table, and swiveled in said block, and having at its outer end anotchedhand-wheel, and a manually-operated catch-lever pivoted to said upstanding portion of the table and zdiptrd to engage in the notches of said wheel, and positively lock the same.

3. In a printers lead-cutter, in combination, a bed or table having a longitudinal guide-rib at its top and having a fixed shear member at one end thereof, having an upstanding portion at its other end, a movable shear member coacting with the fixed shear member, and means for operating it, a gageblock having a sliding ard guiding engagement with said rib, and having in its under side near one end a semicylindrical socket,

and a semicylindrical recess of less diameter leading from said socket to the end of the block, and a screw-shaft having a thread engagement and a longitudinal feed movement through said upstanding portion of the table, provided at its inner extremity with a cylindrical portion, to engage in said semicylindrical socket of the gage-block, and having a necked- (1 )Wii portion adjacent said cylind 'ical end portion, and means for rotating said shaft. i

4. In a printers lead-cutter in combination, a bed or table having a fixed shear member at one end thereof, a gage-block having a perpendicular Working face slidable along said table, means for moving said gageblock, and a movable shear member coacting with said fixed shear member and having a Working face parallel with the Working face of said gage-block, and also having a rectangular recess in its working face opposite the gage-block, whereby jamming of the work is prevented.

Signrd by me at Springfield, Massachusetts, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWIN I. RICE. Witnesses:

G. R. DRISCOLL, WM. S. BELLows. 

